OKCPirate

Not on this forum

Indeed. I have no interest in her private life except to know generally she is happy and healthy, nor would I hope she have any interest in mine. "That is all?" Does this mean your explorations are done?" Umm, no, these are just the most interesting FAILS todate.

Congrats bro. I hit my wall after 7 months. I have a friend who is a plastic surgeon who told me those last 20 pounds are the dang skin that just has to be cut off. I'm happy where I am. Look I'm wearing the same size clothes I did in High School so no complaints. Goal weight is arbitrary. If the GF is happy, so am I.

That is kind of a loaded question. Sleaver's don't have the same malabsorption issues that others surgeries produce. I do a chew-able Centrum in the morning and an off brand soft gel in the late afternoon. Blood work has been fine, but I do add magnesium (umm, it helps you poop regularly) and a couple of extra things I think are important to my personal health goals.

As far as I can tell the Ghrelin levels decrease in both: http://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/obesity/43097

I wish I could have gone home as soon as the drain plug was pulled. I was bored to death, but I really couldn't change my flight. I was a healthy fat guy, I'm not sure what shape you are in, but being in the best shape you can be in seemed to make it very easy.

@@mi75 - you might want to follow this thread: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/374743-so-this-fasting-stuff-works/ I think lipstick lady has good idea and it might be useful to you.

Go to GNC and try Isopure clear drinks. Not everyone likes them, but I did (the green tea). 40g of Protein per bottle was great. Kept my energy level up. NOTE TO THOSE PRE-SURGERY - Taste test in advance of surgery. (@@Crystal Ann Keister - I'm not casting aspersions on you, just making a point to those who have not gotten as far as you. I wish you the best).

@@okiegirl1980 - I was actually leaning toward the lapband initially. It seemed like a good "starter" way of seeing if this worked for me. I ended up rejecting it because of need for follow up with the surgeon (who was in Mexico) and revisions and slippage. I was not interested in getting my bowls worked on (the idea of dumping just scared me, since I teach so much). But I warmed up to the idea of the Sleeve when I read about the Cleveland Clinic research where they were following patients for four years. The need for follow up care was low compared to the other procedures. So, it seemed like the most bang for the buck, and cheaper on the back end. All of the procedures are tools. You still must do the work. If you do, it will change your life. Much tougher as a woman than a man. You are 36, which means you will start getting new attention from guys, which will alter your relationships. If you have not dealt with your food issues, you will be at risk of switching from food to alcohol (or something else). But if you work this on the nutritional/spiritual/emotional levels in a couple of years you will eventually find a new normal, if you are serious. I hope you really appreciate the many thoughtful responses here. I was scanning through the comments, and they were first rate and very fair descriptions of the ups and downs of the procedures. My last bit of unsolicited advice is to Google "WLS fails." There are many videos and blogs of those who didn't do well on this (statistically 20% or so). Look at them carefully. I found most of them failed because they thought this was a magic wand. WRONG. It's still work. But it can change your life in very good and profound ways if you are committed. I have done things I have not done in decades and I am still enjoying the ride. I wish you and my fellow Oklahoman's the best of luck on this. Always feel free to reach out if you have a question.

You're right there. Until you began this topic, I knew only of your 16-year old. Your respect for your children is palpable and will always take you far. You know that. I have four kids. The two boys are in college, and for the moment the two young ladies are living with me. And they are great kids. Very blessed indeed. They all have their own lives, but I'm glad they still enjoy staying in touch and we all want to be part of each other's lives. That is vitally important to everyone: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/174528/20160822/close-family-relationships-more-important-than-friendship-in-extending-seniors-life-expectancy.htm

@@Babbs - No kidding young lady. I'd rather talk about hair and boobs than weight.

If you have a friend who works at a drug store, get a few prescription labels. I slap them on liquids over 3oz and TSA is supposed to let them go through. (Consider that they miss 90% of contraband items anyway but they do seem to be really good at finding benign liquids). Its a short trip, but I have found that most convenience stores have great stocks of Protein drinks now. Two of those a day is more than enough to get me through a couple of days of travel.

Thanks for the input. She is settling down in her new job and staying with me a few weeks during the transition. I can pay for it if she wants to have it. She is kind of surprised by how little I eat. But she knows where I was, and where I am now. I'll keep the ball in her court. I thought that just being a good dad was the best course, but glad to get the insight from others (esp. the ladies).

Umm, major fails on my part on this topic: Mint tooth paste before moving South -- VERY bad idea (both sexes). It was a night of horror we refer to as "The Pepsident Insodent" Pop Rocks (Both sexes) Trying to use hard chocolate shell recipe on male (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/244438/instant-chocolate-hard-shell/) (Turns out it only works on things that are 40 degrees or colder). And never use anything like Ben Gay down there. That is all.

Try this link: https://ociaccess.oci.wi.gov/complaints/public/ You are dealing with a bureaucracy. They only thing they fear are regulators and lawyers.

I like everything "neat". So just get something good and there is no need to mix.

Didn't have a problem with that. But that's the advantage of being a guy. We are all the same in that we are all different.

Good luck, it worked very well for me.

Because different surgeons do different things. Some staple, some stitch. You have to follow their guidelines.

@@Jane1979 - sounds like great due diligence. I only had to give up coffee for the first few weeks for the staple line to heal. I weaned off of it two weeks ahead of time (because I didn't want the headache), and allowed my stomach to heal. I drink it with stevia and cinnamon now. So that is not a life time call.

@@ccraw106 - It depends on healthy you are now. I planned on taking two weeks off (I don't have any heavy lifting in my job) but I was back at work in 24 hours. Now, caveat, I was in really good shape for a fat guy (i.e. no health problems), I liked Isopure (green tea) so I was able to get 80g of Protein a day by drinking two of them a day so my energy level never waned from day one.

What procedure did you have? 30 minutes is easy breezy! I thought these surgeries we're like 5-6 hrs! VS Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well, yes. But let's just keep it between us, OK?